2023 The
2023 Turkish floods were a series of devastating floods that occurred in two
Turkish provinces,
Şanlıurfa and
Adıyaman, on 15 March 2023. The floods were caused by torrential rains that occurred just one month after a
deadly earthquake struck the same regions.
Impact At least 21 people died in the floods; 17 in Şanlıurfa and four in Adıyaman. Among the dead included a one-year-old child. A container home in
Tut, where earthquake survivors were living, was swept away, killing two people, and four others were reported missing. In Şanlıurfa, five Syrian nationals were found dead inside a flooded basement apartment, while two other bodies were retrieved from a trapped van at an underpass. Additionally, four people were killed, and two firefighters were reported missing. The floods caused extensive damage, and several people were evacuated from a drenched campsite where earthquake survivors were sheltering in tents. Nearly 2,000 homes and offices were damaged in the province.
Rescue operations The Turkish disaster management agency reported that more than a dozen professional divers were involved in the rescue efforts in each of the two provinces. On 15 March, the General Directorate of Meteorology said rain was expected in the earthquake-affected area for the next five days. The water rose to in some locations, and the floods have been described as the worst in Turkey's history. 97 people died and about 228 more were injured in the floods, and more than 1800 people were evacuated as many people were rescued from rooftops. Reports have shown that at least 454 buildings had sustained significant damage. Bridges were also damaged or destroyed, and the infrastructure of multiple towns were significantly affected. Experts have stated that
urbanization and
climate change in Turkey have made the floods' worse, although to what extent each factor was responsible has been disputed. As a response to the floods, the government started a disaster relief campaign, which has faced criticism for using donations instead of taxpayer money. Affected provinces were made
disaster areas, and financial help was given to those affected. There have been numerous claims of a
hydroelectric power plant malfunction during the flood, which the government has denied. Others have claimed that the public was misled by officials before the event, and that the missing count was an undercount; however, neither of these claims have been confirmed.
Causes Background Unlike the western and southern coasts of Turkey, where summers are generally hot and dry, torrential summer rains on the northern coasts are common, especially east of the
Bosporus, as there is no summer dry season, and as precipitation generally amounts to at least a year. Recent data also suggests that days with heavy rainfall are increasing in northern Turkey, and Borzou Daraghi of The Independent has called the floods "one of multiple climate change-induced calamities" Turkey has faced this summer. However, meteorologist Mikdat Kadıoğlu claimed that climate change "was being used as a scapegoat" in flood events such as this one, and argued that while climate change was partially responsible, other factors were also at play, principally urbanization. Geologists have also pointed to the
flood plain of the streams around the flooded area, which have narrowed due to construction, while others claimed that poorly made bridges worsened the destruction.
Meteorological history On 6 August 2021, a long-lasting
complex of thunderstorms formed in
eastern Marmara, with an associated
cyclone in Eastern Europe, causing isolated heavy downpours in
Istanbul,
Gebze and
Izmit overnight. The next day, the system moved eastward toward the western
Black Sea region, where it would stall for around a week with
CAPE values occasionally exceeding 6000 J/kg, creating very favorable conditions for severe downpours. While heavy rainfall remained occasional from the 7th to the 9th, the heaviest rainfall occurred from the 10th to the 12th of August, and multiple flash flood warnings were issued by the
General Directorate of Meteorology. Some stations recorded rainfall exceeding over these 48 hours, and
numerical models suggested the possibility of a local maximum as high as , with hourly rainfall rates well above per hour. This likely caused severe flooding in Kastamonu to start about a day into the second rainy period, as a nearby river burst its banks. Other regions also accumulated considerable rainfall, as
Ayancık,
Küre,
Pınarbaşı,
Azdavay and
İnebolu received , , , , and of rainfall respectively, mostly in the span of a couple of hours.
Impact The event has been described by Interior Minister
Süleyman Soylu as "the worst flood disaster" he has ever seen. This was worsened by the flood's effects on the logging area south of town, as logs drifted through the town center, leading to further damage. AFAD announced that electricity could not be supplied to 4 villages in Bartın, 180 villages in Kastamonu and 87 villages in Sinop in Ayancık and Türkeli districts, as water had inundated power plants in the region. At least 81 people have died, 228 were injured while many more are missing, and at least 454 buildings were significantly damaged.
Response Domestic A total of 2472 people were evacuated, and the
gendarmerie was dispatched, along with more than 9000 emergency workers; officials and volunteers from
AFAD. Helicopters were used to supply electricity to the affected areas, and to rescue people from flooded buildings. Gubernatorial positions were changed to manage the disaster more effectively, as Bozkurt governor Okan Yenidünya was removed from his post to be replaced by Murat Atıcı. The government has cited Atıcı's experience with natural disasters as the reason for this change. The government has offered financial help to affected communities, and organizations including AFAD have sent at least 10 million
liras to affected zones. However, a controversial donation campaign was started by the government to aid relief, which many opposition politicians criticized, claiming that taxpayer money should have been enough. Authorities had previously warned the area for potential flash flooding, however, many in the area felt that the warnings were inadequate for the severity of the event. • – President
Alexander Lukashenko also sent his condolences, stating that the floods in Turkey were received "with great sadness" in Belarus. • – Minister of Defence Beni Gantz offered to send a rescue team to aid Turkey. • – President
Sadyr Japarov offered his condolences for the people who have lost their lives in the flood. • – President
Volodymyr Zelensky sent his condolences to Turkey, stating that the people of Ukraine share the victims' pain. The
European Union,
Ireland,
Iran,
Pakistan,
Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Serbia,
Belgium ve
Kuwait have also sent their condolences. The floods led to the death of at least 31 people and the cost of damage has been estimated as being in excess of $70 million.
Background The floods followed a two-day period of heavy rainfall, the worst the country had seen for 80 years, which had begun on 7 September. Turkey's Minister of Environment and Forests,
Veysel Eroğlu, described the rain as the "worst in 500 years". The floods were created by the Marmara sea, an inlet of the Mediterranean sea.
Impacts At least 31 people were killed across the region and dozens were stranded in cars or on rooftops and an unknown number remain missing.
Muammer Güler, governor of Istanbul, said 20 people were injured by the floods. Officials and experts have blamed the high death toll on unplanned urbanization in Istanbul, which has seen buildings constructed in river beds, and an inadequate infrastructure system. According to state-run news agency
Anatolia Agency, one building collapsed, although there were no reported casualties. == External links ==